Analysis of Saffron Production Challenges from the Perspective of Saffron Farmers in Mashhad County

Saffron as one of the profitable export products faces many challenges in different stages of production, processing, and marketing. This study was aimed to investigate the challenges of saffron production from saffron-growers in Mashhad county. The statistical population of this study included all saffron producers in the city, 192 of whom were studied by convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used for data collection that its validity and reliability were assessed using a panel of experts and Cronbach's alpha coefficient, respectively. A hierarchical component model using the partial least squares method was used for data analysis. The results indicated that the most important challenge of saffron production is in economic contexts that saffron price fluctuation can be mentioned as the most important aspect in this context. Also, political and technical challenges were identified as other important challenges in this area. It should be noted that supportive challenges did not play a significant role in the set of considered challenges. Considering e-commerce platforms is suggested as one of the ways to reduce these challenges.